Daring Hoops
by KittyKurtLove
Summary: Ellie McKenna isn't treated the best at home. Her friends at school are oblivious to her abuse, until one special person starts to notice. Can Ellie learn to trust and love again, or is she hardened for life? Chad/OC Martha/Jason
1. Escape from the Abuse

Ellie McKenna hugged her books to her chest tightly as she walked through the halls of East High. A few people smiled, and she smiled back. Today was better than most had been since she started her freshman year. She got to her homeroom class and sat down in her assigned seat. She glanced over and saw Taylor McKessie playing with her boyfriend, Chad Danforth's hair. Troy Bolton, the star of the basketball team, was staring at his honor roll girlfriend, Gabriella Montez.  
"Can you please stop staring at Chad? Don't you remember he's taken?" Ellie turned to see her best friend Martha staring at her.  
"I was not staring at him! I was just wondering what it's like to date one of the Wildcats."  
"Uh huh. Sure you were."  
"You're one to talk! At least you're dating Jason!"  
The two girls realized that class was starting, and turned to look at their teacher.  
_

Ellie opened the front door quietly. She was hoping that she could sneak past her parents without them realizing she was home. It was 4:30, and she was supposed to be home by 4.  
She was almost to the staircase when a rough hand grabbed her forearm. "You little brat! Where have you been?" She turned to see her father holding onto her tightly.  
"Martha and I stopped for ice cream." She replied sheepishly. Her dad jerked her back down the three stairs she had climbed, causing her to fall.  
"Get up, bitch! The dishes need to be done, and the dinner needs to be cooked. Surely you can't expect us to do the work around here!" He slapped the back of her neck. "Now go!"  
Ellie walked quickly into the kitchen, cradling her bruised arm, crying soflty.  
_

The next morning, Martha was her usual cheery self. "Hey, Ellie! You look tired. Is something wrong?"  
Ellie smiled at her. "No, nothing's wrong. I just couldn't sleep last night is all."  
Martha seemed satisfied with that answer. A few seconds later, Martha's boyfriend Jason ran up, fellow Wildcats following close behind. He kissed her quickly. "Hey! You wanna go to the movies tonight?"  
"I'd love to!"  
"Awesome! Catch you later." Jason ran off again, bumping into Ellie and making her drop her books. Chad noticed and stopped. He quickly gathered the books and handed them back to Ellie with a smile before running to catch up to the team.  
_

That day after school, Ellie didn't even try to sneak into the house. It was only 4:15, but she knew the fate that awaited her. As soon as she opened the front door, she felt the breath get knocked out of her. There was another crushing blow to her stomach. She looked up, only to see the cause of the pain- her faither with a broomstick.  
"I am sick and tired of you being late all the time! You have responsiblities around here, and you have to do them!"  
Ellie gathered all of her strength and stood up. Her father moved to the side a bit, so she could get to the kitchen. Instead, Ellie turned around and ran out the front door.  
"Ellie! ELLIE! I swear if you take one more step, don't even bother coming back!"  
_

Ellie picked up the basketball, and easily made it into the net. She picked up another and did the same. Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her. "What are you doing here?"  
She turned around to see Chad Danforth walking toward her. She shrugged. "I didn't want to stay at home, and this was the only place I could think of." She threw the basketball she was holding into the net.  
"Whoa. You're good at hoops? How come you're not on the lady team?"  
"I don't have time."  
Chad looked down and saw the bruises on her arms. "Are you okay?"  
She noticed where he was looking, and threw the basketball she was holding to him. "I'm fine."  
Ellie turned and strode out of the gym, while Chad looked after her, his face etched with worry.


	2. A Knight in a Varsity Jacket

Ellie had no clue where to go now. She obviously couldn't go home. She had gone back to the school for the sole purpose that it was the only place she knew to go. If she went to one of her friend's houses too many questions would be asked. No need to get the police involved.  
She had the sneaking suspicion that Chad had noticed that something was up. She could tell by the way that he looked at her as she left the gym. Even now, as she sat on the floor of her homeroom, she could hear the steady beat of him dribbling the basketball-not making any shots or even playing-just bouncing the ball up and down. She knew he was thinking.  
But right now she had more important things to worry about. Where was she going to sleep? What was she going to eat? What was she going to wear? It was the middle of winter, and all she had to her name was the thin t-shirt and jeans she was wearing. She wandered around the school aimlessly until she came across a closet. It was a supply closet, full of towels and cleaning supplies. Ignoring the strong odor of bleach, she settled down onto the pile of towels for a long, restless night, the sound of Chad's basketball finally lulling her to sleep.  
_

The next morning, she awoke to an empty school. It was only 5am- not even the teachers were there yet. "Perfect," she thought to herself. She went to the locker room, turning the water in the shower on all the way warm. She was shivering. The school was cold enough when she had her jacket on-now she was freezing.  
After a nice, hot shower she felt better. She walked out to the gym, starting to idly make a few shots, when she heard footsteps behind her.  
"I thought you might be here this morning." Chad was walking up behind her.  
She turned around to face him, surprised. "Yeah, I couldn't really sleep, so I decided to come early today."  
"Is everything okay? If something's wrong, you can talk to a teacher or a counselor or even me." He looked down at the bruises on her arms.  
"Everything's fine, really. Don't even worry about it." She tossed Chad the basketball she was holding, and he easily tossed it into the basket. Ellie walked over to the bleachers and sat down, watching Chad do his morning warm-ups. There was no denying, he was cute. He was beyond cute. His smooth dark skin, and his mop of curly brown hair. He was perfect in her eyes.  
Chad turned to look at Ellie, seeing her shivering on the bleacher. He walked over to her and spread his varsity Wildcats jacket across her shoulders. Without saying anything, he returned to the court.  
Fourty-five minutes later, they heard the dreaded first bell. Ellie walked sleepily to him, and starting taking his jacket off. He placed a hand on her forearm gently to stop her. "Why don't you keep it for the rest of the day? It'll keep you warm in class." Without giving her a chance to reply, he snatched up his bookbag and took off.  
_

Ellie trudged into her homeroom class to an array of stares and gasps. She had no clue what the big deal was until she realized that she was still wearing Chad's jacket. She sighed. How on earth was she going to explain this? She took her usual seat next to Martha.  
"Oh my god SPILL!" Martha whispered excitedly.  
"There is nothing to 'spill'" Ellie whispered back. "I came to the gym this morning to shoot some hoops before school, and he let me borrow his jacket. It was cold. That's all." She turned to look at Chad's girlfriend, Taylor. To her surprise, she looked indifferent. "I'm surprised Taylor isn't upset."  
"Didn't you hear? Chad broke up with her last night. They're over."  
_

That day was a hard one to get through. She had none of her homework to turn in, since she hadn't been at home. She couldn't concentrate on her schoolwork because she had gotten such little sleep in that closet. And she certainly couldn't go anywhere in the school without the stares and whispers. Much to her dismay, she didn't see Chad all day either.  
Just as school was ending, Chad ran up behind her. "Ellie!"  
She turned around, recognizing his voice. "Hey, Chad." She started slipping his jacket off, for the first time since that morning. "Thanks for letting me borrow this today. It's been a lifesaver."  
"No problem. If you need anything else, just let me know, okay?" He slid a small slip of paper into her hand with his phone number on it, then he was off. Ellie watched him walk away until she couldn't make him out in the crowd anymore. Crossing her arms to cover the bruises, she walked back into the school, going back to her abandoned closet for the night.


	3. You Deserve Love

Chad walked into the school, trying to remember just which abandoned closet it was. He had tried to map out the directions in his head, but this school was just so big! In his arms he held a backpack, a blanket and a pillow. Finally, he found the closet. Ellie was sleeping peacefully on a pile of towels. He had never felt more sorry for a person in his life. He knew she had to have fled her home-he could see all the signs. She had nothing with her, and she had the bruises.  
He opened the door to the closet quietly, sneaking in. Careful not to wake Ellie, he gently spread the blanket over her shivering body. Lifting her head just slightly, he slid the pillow under her head. He took the backpack off and placed it beside her, then quietly crept back out.  
_

Ellie woke up feeling warm and snuggly. Soon she realized that there was a blanket covering her. And a nice, thick, warm one, at that. And what was that under her head? A pillow? No wonder she had slept so much better! She looked to her side and saw a backpack-pink and black, and much nicer than any backpack she had ever had before. On the outside there was a sticky note that simply read, "To Ellie, From Chad." She opened it, it's contents spilling on the floor. Inside was bottles of water, cereal bars, fruits, some gum and some candies. She dug a little deeper and saw that he had included a nice soft jacket as well. Even further down there was one last surprise- a teddy bear. Why had he included the teddy bear?  
_

That night she went to the gym as usual. She didn't know if she went to the gym because she was hoping that he would be there, or because she wanted an escape, but either way, there she was. And, right on time, in came Chad.  
"I see you found your present." He smiled.  
She smiled back shyly. "Yes, I did, and thank you, but I'm afraid I have no money. I don't have anyway to repay you."  
He had already started shaking his head. "No, no, no. That was my gift to you. I don't know your full situation, but I do know that for whatever reason, you're living in an abandoned closet inside your high school. That situation is screaming for help, and I want to be the one to help."  
Soon after, the two of them were sitting on the gym floor, Ellie recounting her long days of abuse to Chad, as he listened on in horror. Ellie pulled up her sleeves, fully revealing the now-fading bruises to him. He looked a little closer, and realized he could see the faint scars on her wrists. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He took her hands into his, pulling them closer to him. Slowly, tenderly, he kissed her hands. He kissed every scar, working his way up, gently kissing the bruises. He looked up at her. He pulled her close, until she was almost in his lap. "You don't deserve this, Ellie. You are beautiful." And with that, he put his hands on her face, bringing his lips to hers in a soft embrace.


End file.
